Dates for SEAPAC: Friday, May 30th – Sunday, June 1st. 

Seaside Convention Center

Seaside Oregon

Flea market & commercial vendors/exhibits

Workshops

Seminars

Banquet

Prizes

VE Testing

And much more!

Visit SEAPAC.org for more info.

Saturday, March 15, 2025, I will hide several-ish VHF (2 meter) transmitters on the Mt Hood Community College campus 26000 SE Stark St. Gresham, OR.  The hunt will start at 11:00 AM from the Fisheries Building #22 on the North side of the campus. Bring the antenna you’ve been building and have fun watching others doing the same thing.

Bring the kids. Rain or shine.

Saturday March 15, 2025
MHCC Fisheries Building
45.51856 -122.39172
Fox Hunt Starts at 11:00

For more info, email:
Denny

WB7UFJ @arrl.net

If you haven’t renewed your membership, don’t forget to fill out a membership form and pay the membership fee.

CLICK HERE FOR MEMBERSHIP FORM

The meeting topic is the report of winter field day and the successful deployment of the club trailer. There have been lots of upgrades and

6:30 PM Elmer’s table

7 PM Meeting Start

Cedar Hills Baptist Church – 2470 SW Roxbury Ave, Portland, OR 97225

We will meet at L.L. Stubb Stewart State Park on Friday, January 24th for antenna setup, operating trailer, and sleeping accommodations, Saturday, January 25th breakfast before the start time of 11:00 am.
We will operate three stations from 11:00 am Saturday till 1:00 pm Sunday. We will be having breakfast on Sunday morning for the people who participate in the clubhouse that is reserved for the event.

This is a fun event similar to the summer field day we have in June but a little more unpredictable weather-wise. We would love to have volunteers to help us out on-site and enjoy talking to the other campers there about HAM radio and its role in disaster preparedness because emergencies don’t always happen in warm weather.

You can also work us from home on HF 20M, 40m, and 80 meters during the event.
Listen for the club call W7OTV and give us a holler.

If you would like to join us please send an email to :
Dave Wright- AB7DW dwright073 AT gmail.com
Dave Moore – KF7ASP helidave450 AT gmail.com

Dear OTVARC members:

I am hosting a multi-operator activity in the ARRL 10 Meter contest at my station. This band is heavily dependent on the sunspot cycle and is currently the best it’s been in the last 20+ years.

If you’re new to contesting, don’t worry. We can show you the ropes. You can observe other ops for a while, then step in and pick up the mic when you think you have the hang of it. Don’t worry that you’ll slow us down. We do this for fun and as a training exercise.

You can also try CW if you’re game.

Save the dates, and more information will be supplied as the time approaches. The contest dates are 0000 UTC Saturday Dec 14 through 2359 UTC Sunday Dec 15. In PST that’s 4:00 pm Friday through 3:59 PM Sunday Dec 13-15.

73, Carl WS7L

On behalf of Tualatin Valley Contesters W7TVC.

Email w7otv@otvarc.org for more details.

Thanks for your RSVP. The event is now full.

If you have RSVP’d but need to cancel, please email holidaydinner@otvarc.org

Hello everyone, 

We just received confirmation from NASA’s ARISS program!

• The ISS crewmember will be Sunita Williams KD5PLB, KD5MDT.
• The event will take place on Friday, October 18, 2024, at 11:30:14 AM PDT.

The purpose of this email is to introduce everyone who may have been working on different parts of the project independently. In just over a week the event will begin, so I want to connect everyone. If you’re included in this email, you play an important role in the International Space Station contact, so please read through the entire message.

This event is open to the public!  Feel free to invite family and friends and post the event on social media. Steve Brown is working on a press release and social media details to follow so that you can post them.

Day-of:

• We are planning to arrive at 7:00 AM to set up. Anyone who would like to help set up on-site is encouraged to join us:
  • Please confirm if you able to arrive at 7am.
    • If you need to arrive after that time, then let us know when you anticipate arriving. 
    • If you are unable to attend in person then let us know that as well.
  • We will need someone to open the observatory door since we will arrive before the museum opens.
• Assistance is needed to help move the equipment from the observatory to the future observatory site for antenna placement. The hill is steep, and the ground is uneven.
  • Please wear sturdy close-toed shoes. Hiking boots, or rain boots are recommended.
• Bring a camping chair to sit at the event.
• Students will arrive about two hours before the event to run through preparations and get started.
• See below for a detailed tentative onsite schedule.

Quick introduction of everyone on this email thread:

• Carlton Observatory where the event will take place:
  • Janet Zuelke, founder
  • Roger Pence, observatory volunteer
• Kori Dunn, director of TEACH-NW, the school from which students will ask questions
• Lara Triback, project coordinator admin (and Zeke’s mom)
• Oregon Tualatin Valley Amateur Radio Club (OTVARC) members:
  • Steve Bils, K3SHB, vice president
  • Casey Baldwin, WC7L, club trustee; website/media director
  • Terrill Jarvis, K7TLJ, club trustee; will provide internet connectivity for streaming
  • Zeke Wheeler, KJ7NLL, satcom contact and young innovator
  • Eric Wheeler, KJ7LNW, ISS contact technical coordinator for OTVARC
• ARISS Volunteers:
  • Phil Shreves, N7GZT, technical mentor
  • Dan Vasen, education and non-technical mentor

Technical details from ARISS:

TEACH-NW Charter School, Springfield, OR, direct via KJ7NLL
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS
The downlink frequency is presently scheduled to be 145.800 MHz Primary Frequency
The scheduled crewmember is Sunita Williams KD5PLB KD5MDT
Contact is go for: Fri 2024-10-18 18:30:14 UTC 57 deg

Location directions:

• Carlton Observatory at the Evergreen Air & Space Museum
• 500 NE Captain Michael King Smith Way, McMinnville, OR 97128
• Directions to ARISS site once you arrive at the museum:
  • Right on cumulus ave
  • Follow signs to museum and go across speed bumps
  • Take a right towards the theater signs
  • take a hard right onto Gravel road
  • Drive to the end of Gravel road and park on the right side.
• Kori will be available to help anyone who needs assistance in finding us. (541)-972-1548

Preliminary schedule (suggestions are welcome):

• 7:00 – 8:00: Physical Deployment of Antennas

• Set up antennas at the site
• Ensure proper placement and alignment of equipment
• Verify all connections are secure and stable
• 8:00 – 9:00: Antenna/Transceiver Checks

• Primary Antenna/Transceiver:
  • Update TLEs
  • Verify:
    • Azimuth/elevation tracking
    • Doppler configuration (pre-programmed)
    • TX/RX split on transmit
    • LNA bias tee functionality
    • Antenna functionality and low VSWR at power
• 8:40 – Secondary Antenna/Transceiver:
  • Repeat verification steps (exclude TLE and AZ/EL tests)
• 9:00 – 10:00: Audio/Video Checks

• Sound Check:
  • Verify transceiver line-input levels using hand held radios and test frequencies
• 9:15 – Internet and Streaming Tests:
  • Test YouTube channel: @KJ7NLL
  • Test OBS streaming platform
  • Verify persistent storage for saved video streams
• 9:30 – 10:00: Media Arrival

•     Coordinate media-specific needs (e.g., power, seating)
•     Deploy “Recording in Progress” signs
• 10:00 – 10:15: Student Preparation

• Students receive question printouts
• Practice reading questions aloud to build confidence
• 10:15 – 10:40: Open to Public

• Check-in and distribute nametags
• Hand out surveys (to be returned post-event)

• 10:50 – 10:55: Student Lineup:
  • Line up students in question order at the podium
• 10:55 – Streaming Begins – Start live stream for remote users
  • 11:00 – Emcee Introduction:
    • Audience Announcements:
      • Share live-stream link on social media and with friends/family
      • Encourage audience to record and share the event
    • Informational Logistics:
      • Explain AOS/LOS process, ISS pass, rise/set, and elevation
      • Display ISS path on the monitor and point out countdown to AOS
  • 11:20 – Pre-AOS Preparation:
    • Bring first student to podium
    • 11:27 – Initial Signal Test:
      • Call ISS for signal test and greet astronaut
  • 11:30 – AOS:
    • Greet astronaut, thank them for joining
    • Students ask questions, managed by timing between each question
  • 11:39 – Prepare for LOS:
    • One minute before loss of signal, wrap up with astronaut and thank them
  • 11:40 – Emcee Closing:
    • Thank sponsors and support personnel
    • Remind participants to submit surveys
• 11:40 – 12:30: Post-Contact Networking & Engagement

• Invite OTVARC radio club rep to podium:
  • Discuss ham radio opportunities
  • Offer students the chance to use radios and communicate with ground stations
  • Demonstrate azimuth/elevation rotor use
• Encourage networking among parents, students, and STEM groups
• 12:00: End Live Streaming
• 12:00 – 12:30: Socializing and Student Engagement
• 12:30 – Event Close
• Collect surveys from departing students and parents
• 13:00 – Shutdown and Cleanup

• Disassemble and pack antenna/radio equipment
• Final site cleanup and breakdown

We will set up for the 6:39pm pass of the ISS and confirm contact via the ISS cross-band repeater. Bonus: The International Space Station should be visible during the pass! We will set up at about 5:30pm.

This is an open invitation to anyone who would like to join:

• Address: 500 NE Captain Michael King Smith Way, McMinnville, OR 97128
• Map link: https://maps.app.goo.gl/XRYv2gPApzVBSBVRA
• Here are some screenshots of the details from https://www.n2yo.com/passes/?s=25544 :

Hello everyone,

This Saturday (Sept 14), Middle and HS students will be building the antennas that will be used to contact the International Space Station. 

If you would like to to help, then please let me know when you can drop in (or stay for the entire day). Here are the details:

Location:
TEACH-NW
141 NE 43rd
Hillsboro

Time: This Saturday 9/14, 9am-5pm
Contact:
Eric, KJ7LNW
503-330-four two seven seven

More info: NASA’s educational outreach program ARISS selected TEACH-NW, an Oregon online charter school, to schedule an Amateur Radio call with an astronaut aboard the International Space Station this year in mid-October (date TBD from NASA); OTVARC is the club serving as technical contact for the project.

This is a student-driven project, spearheaded by our own 13-year-old club member Zeke KJ7NLL, who will facilitate the workshop.  He designed the antenna rotor control system that will track the ISS and teach the students how to build the directional high-gain cross-Yagi antenna to be used at the event during the week of October 14.

Feel free to call or email if you have any questions.

Sincerely,

Eric, KJ7LNW